Compromised Ties
by Kura-Tokiwa69
Summary: With their organisation compromised, Kuroo was tasked to retrieve a Tsukishima Kei and his partner, Yamaguchi Tadashi to regroup. Turns out he only had to try and drag Tsukishima back.


There was nothing as sweet as a good chase, watching his prey struggle and squirm, desperate to escape the predator's claws. But this time it was different. He had a task to fulfil and it was fairly simple, really. Convince a Tsukishima Kei and a Yamaguchi Tadashi to return back to their temporary base where they could regroup with the remaining agents who were still alive and formulate a plan to save their fallen organisation, torn apart from within by moles and traitors.

"A knife specialist and the brains of the Karasuno division… No wonder Ukai seemed so insistent on prioritising this Tsukishima guy." After the fall of the Agency, they weren't able to salvage much information from amidst the chaos and the only few leads they had were a handful of the agents' last mission locations. Kuroo had been sent out to pull Tsukishima and his partner back but tracing their steps was taking longer than expected and he was cutting it close to his given deadline of a month. From what he had heard, Tsukishima Kei was not an easy one to deal with and despite all of Kuroo's confidence, the tragedy that had befallen the Agency was not going to make his mission smooth-sailing.

A quiet shuffle in the darkness snapped Kuroo out of his thoughts, thin lips curling up in a lazy grin as he spotted one of his targets. _Finally_. There was no mistaking it, the sharp defining features and short blond locks. Exactly like the photo provided. Trailing close behind, Kuroo followed the lone figure into an underground carpark.

"Show yourself." A voice of calm indifference pierced the silence as the figure came to an abrupt stop. Though he didn't turn around, Kuroo could see the bare movements of his head, probably trying to pinpoint Kuroo's location without being obvious.

Deciding he was done playing cat and mouse, Kuroo stepped out from behind a car with hands raised as a sign of peace. "Tsukishima Kei right?"

Tsukishima turned on the ball of his heel, a hand hovering close to his pocket as he got a good look at his pursuer. The unruly black mess of hair stood out but what was most prominent were his eyes. The half-lidded gaze did nothing to shield the intensity of the stare, revealing experience far beyond his own. He was definitely dangerous. Very dangerous. This was a fight he could not win even if he was in top condition. Warning bells were already ringing in his head and he knew better than to ignore it. Forcing himself to take a slow step back, his mind was already calculating possible escape routes but he had no time to familiarise himself with the streets of Tokyo earlier on which limited his movements. "If you're here to finish me off, better do it quick." As if. There was no way he was going to die in this shithole.

Dark eyes raked up and down Tsukishima in close scrutiny. Despite his words, Kuroo could tell Tsukishima wasn't about to go down without a fight but that wasn't what he was here for. "Look, I'm not here to kill you. I'm from the Agency, captain of the Nekoma division. Ring any bells?" Spurred on by the slight widening of the other's golden eyes, Kuroo continued. "Ukai asked me to bring you and your partner, Yamaguchi, back to base—Well, temporary base, since the headquarters got trashed pretty bad. We're gathering the remaining agents to save the Agency and rebuild it blah blah blah… You get the gist. So, ready to come along?"

Captain of the Nekoma division. Of course he would know. He was well-known among them to be one of the best in hand-to-hand combat which made things all the more complicated. If he was one of the traitors, then Tsukishima was fucked. "Liar. Ukai retired months ago. Plus, who's to say you're not one of _them_?" Yamaguchi had been taken down by one of the traitors; there was no way he was going to make the same mistake. Quickly scanning his surroundings once more, the only conceivable escape was going up the stairs to the main building but the nearest one was closer to Kuroo than to him. That was a risk he had to take, Tsukishima supposed. Darting to the side where the stairwell was, he was immediately intercepted to which the bespectacled blond responded by drawing his knife from its sheath hidden under his jacket. The serrated edge glinted under the weak fluorescent lighting, blade held up in a defensive position.

Kuroo almost let a sigh escape his lips, noting Tsukishima's posture had changed slightly. It was understandable for him to be wary, considering the nature of their occupation and the events that had transpired over the last few months. The moment Tsukishima made his move, Kuroo was already one step ahead of him, blocking his exit and unfazed by the drawn weapon. Instead, a feral grin crept upon his lips, eyes narrowing in amusement. Curiosity was brimming inside him, threatening to overflow in the form of a smart taunt just to get Tsukishima to attack him but instead, he bit back his tongue. No point aggravating their already shaky acquaintanceship. "Come on, Tsukki. It doesn't have to be like this, you know?"

" _Don't_ call me that." Tsukishima hissed with a deadly venom in his tone. "Besides, have you even seen yourself? You're practically itching for a fight."

Was it that obvious? It was true though, Kuroo had been curious about Tsukishima from the start and he was eager to see his skills in action but at that point with the blade directed at him, it sent his adrenaline pumping. Before he could get another word out, Tsukishima stepped forward and struck with a quick stab, swiping the blade when he anticipated Kuroo's dodge.

Kuroo kept his eye on the hand with the knife, waiting for a chance to reach out and grab Tsukishima's wrist to disarm him. Such a tactic was easily read however, and Tsukishima brought the blade back to throw a punch with his free hand that was blocked by Kuroo's raised arm.

"Eh, not bad, but not good enough. Your movements are sluggish." He could tell Tsukishima was injured and forcing himself to continue the fight would only be detrimental. With a roundhouse kick aimed at his target's torso, he heard Tsukishima click his tongue with disdain as he barely managed to deflect the blow but it winded him, nonetheless.

Making use of the brief moment where Tsukishima was catching his breath, Kuroo was finally able to grab his wrist to try and wrench the blade from hand, only to let out a hiss, sharply retracting his hand.

Tsukishima had loosened his grip enough to shift and hold the knife in a reverse grip, flicking his wrist to cut the skin between Kuroo's thumb and index finger. "I don't need your running commentary. Now move—" A gunshot rang through the air, the shot hitting the concrete floor inches away from Tsukishima's feet.

 _Looks like they've caught up to me, no thanks to this idiot_. Judging by the footsteps, three had already arrived at their location and Tsukishima was in no condition to take them on, especially if they were armed with guns. His own handgun was almost out of ammunition and he wasn't about to waste it on targets he couldn't get a clear shot on. Kuroo didn't seem quite as worried as he was but that gave him an idea.

With Kuroo distracted, Tsukishima sheathed his knife and made a run for it, avoiding the next few shots and abandoning his initial plan of using the stairwell. There was another exit just one floor below that led out to a maze of alleyways and all Tsukishima had to do was try not to get shot and jump off a ledge down to the lower floor. Oh joy.

Hopping onto the ledge, Tsukishima gave one last look behind before jumping, pushing the memory of that predatory gaze to the back of his mind.

Slinking through the faintly lit alleyways, Tsukishima kept up his pace until the pain in his side grew too intolerable to go on. He sneaked into an empty apartment, careful to check for any occupants before going about the house to rummage for a first aid kit. Settling down with his back against the wall, Tsukishima had barely gotten round to disinfecting his wounds when he heard a low whistle from across the room and within a second, he had his gun drawn and aimed ahead. He was down to his last few bullets but his disadvantageous position gave him no choice.

"That looks pretty bad. I could help you, you know?" Kuroo had dropped his teasing tone, replaced with genuine worry. Taking a tentative step forward with hands raised again, he froze on the spot when Tsukishima cocked his gun. "Don't be stubborn, Tsukishima. Look, Ukai did retire but now his son is taking over. You know Ukai Keishin right? He's recalling all available agents— Ah, he told me to tell you this in case something like this occurred. What was it again… _Autumn has fallen._ Whatever that means."

There was a flicker of recognition in Tsukishima's features at the name but when it came to the code, his breath hitched and he immediately lowered the gun, though still remaining guarded around the Nekoma agent. "We wouldn't have to go through all that if you had just said so earlier." Tsukishima muttered with a twinge of annoyance. Each of the Karasuno agents had a code that was shared only among themselves and used only during emergencies. It would be impossible for Kuroo to have known that they even had code words without one of the Karasuno agent's telling him. Then again, he could have threatened them for it—

"Hey, don't need to glare at me like that." Kuroo reached over for the first aid kit, motioning for Tsukishima to remove his shirt so that he could examine the full extent of his injuries. The Karasuno agent reluctantly did as he was told, wincing when Kuroo poked and prodded at the bruises, tending to the gashes and scratches with a gentleness Tsukishima was not expecting.

"My partner used to do this for me… He was my spotter while I did all the dirty work."

"I didn't ask."

Kuroo only gave what seemed like a bitter smile. "I know."

They've all encountered loss at some point in their life and Tsukishima knew it all too well. Grief, sorrow, heartache. He chose to lock away those unnecessary emotions that could hinder his work. Kuroo, on the other hand, it was like he was forcing himself to remember the pain, unwillingly to let go.

"Is that a look of pity I see?" There was no bite in his tone, and the lazy grin returned.

"I wasn't—" Tsukishima stopped mid-sentence and lifted his head toward the door. "They're here." He whispered.

Kuroo stood up to peek out the window, muttering an 'Uh-oh' before padding across the room to the smaller window. "Looks like the only way out is up…"

With a quick stretch, Tsukishima got up as well, checking for his knives and the remaining ammunition. It looked like Yamaguchi's death did affect him to a certain extent after all. He was never this careless with covering his tracks but it was far too late for regrets. A sharp huff of breath left Tsukishima's lips as he steeled himself. No more mistakes. He had to concentrate.

"Hey." The hushed whisper pulled him out of his thoughts and he lifted his gaze to meet Kuroo's cat-like eyes. "I know this area better than you do. And we _really_ need to regroup."

"No." Tsukishima hissed, sparing furtive glances at the door. Footsteps were quickly approaching down the hallway and they had to get out fast.

"Come on, Tsukishima. Please trust me."

Hesitation kept him grounded to the spot, narrowed amber hues eyeing Kuroo's outstretched hand. This was so stupid. He was stupid. No one in their right mind would agree, even if Kuroo sounded so damn sincere.

But he did.

Tsukishima grabbed the hand and let Kuroo hoist him up the window ledge, letting him scale the wall up to the rooftop before following suit, landing softly beside him. "We're definitely getting out of this alive."

It wasn't much of a reassurance to Tsukishima whose pessimism and paranoia kept him alive all this while. As they left the area through a different route, Tsukishima could only look back and wonder if he regretted accepting that proffered hand which at that moment, felt akin to a curse.

* * *

Found this half written in my fic folder so I finally got round to finishing it _(:3_/ I planned for this to be a multi-chap fic but since I don't really have time to update regularly, I'll just leave it as a oneshot till I can finish the entire story uwu Ayyy find me on AO3 and Tumblr as Tokinya!


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